A comprehensive guide for deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting NetFlow and learning big data analytics technologies for cyber security
Today’s world of network security is full of cyber security vulnerabilities, incidents, breaches, and many headaches. Visibility into the network is an indispensable tool for network and security professionals and Cisco NetFlow creates an environment where network administrators and security professionals have the tools to understand who, what, when, where, and how network traffic is flowing.
Network Security with NetFlow and IPFIX is a key resource for introducing yourself to and understanding the power behind the Cisco NetFlow solution. Omar Santos, a Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) technical leader and author of numerous books including the CCNA Security 210-260 Official Cert Guide, details the importance of NetFlow and demonstrates how it can be used by large enterprises and small-to-medium-sized businesses to meet critical network challenges. This book also examines NetFlow’s potential as a powerful network security tool.
Network Security with NetFlow and IPFIX explores everything you need to know to fully understand and implement the Cisco Cyber Threat Defense Solution. It also provides detailed configuration and troubleshooting guidance, sample configurations with depth analysis of design scenarios in every chapter, and detailed case studies with real-life scenarios.
You can follow Omar on Twitter: @santosomar
- NetFlow and IPFIX basics
- Cisco NetFlow versions and features
- Cisco Flexible NetFlow
- NetFlow Commercial and Open Source Software Packages
- Big Data Analytics tools and technologies such as Hadoop, Flume, Kafka, Storm, Hive, HBase, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana (ELK)
- Additional Telemetry Sources for Big Data Analytics for Cyber Security
- Understanding big data scalability
- Big data analytics in the Internet of everything
- Cisco Cyber Threat Defense and NetFlow
- Troubleshooting NetFlow
- Real-world case studies
Table of Contents:
Introduction xvi
Chapter 1 Introduction to NetFlow and IPFIX 1
Introduction to NetFlow 1
The Attack Continuum 2
The Network as a Sensor and as an Enforcer 3
What Is a Flow? 4
NetFlow Versus IP Accounting and Billing 6
NetFlow for Network Security 7
Anomaly Detection and DDoS Attacks 8
Data Leak Detection and Prevention 9
Incident Response and Network Security Forensics 9
Traffic Engineering and Network Planning 14
IP Flow Information Export 15
IPFIX Architecture 16
IPFIX Mediators 17
IPFIX Templates 17
Option Templates 19
Introduction to the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) 19
Supported Platforms 20
Introduction to Cisco Cyber Threat Defense 21
Cisco Application Visibility and Control and NetFlow 22
Application Recognition 22
Metrics Collection and Exporting 23
Management and Reporting Systems 23
Control 23
Deployment Scenarios 24
Deployment Scenario: User Access Layer 24
Deployment Scenario: Wireless LAN 25
Deployment Scenario: Internet Edge 26
Deployment Scenario: Data Center 28
Public, Private, and Hybrid Cloud Environments 32
Deployment Scenario: NetFlow in Site-to-Site and Remote VPNs 33
NetFlow Remote-Access VPNs 33
NetFlow Site-to-Site VPNs 34
NetFlow Collection Considerations and Best Practices 35
Determining the Flows per Second and Scalability 36
Summary 37
Chapter 2 Cisco NetFlow Versions and Features 39
NetFlow Versions and Respective Features 39
NetFlow v1 Flow Header Format and Flow Record Format 40
NetFlow v5 Flow Header Format and Flow Record Format 41
NetFlow v7 Flow Header Format and Flow Record Format 42
NetFlow Version 9 43
NetFlow and IPFIX Comparison 57
Summary 57
Chapter 3 Cisco Flexible NetFlow 59
Introduction to Cisco’s Flexible NetFlow 59
Simultaneous Application Tracking 60
Flexible NetFlow Records 61
Flexible NetFlow Key Fields 61
Flexible NetFlow Non-Key Fields 63
NetFlow Predefined Records 65
User-Defined Records 65
Flow Monitors 65
Flow Exporters 65
Flow Samplers 66
Flexible NetFlow Configuration 66
Configure a Flow Record 67
Configuring a Flow Monitor for IPv4 or IPv6 69
Configuring a Flow Exporter for the Flow Monitor 71
Applying a Flow Monitor to an Interface 73
Flexible NetFlow IPFIX Export Format 74
Summary 74
Chapter 4 NetFlow Commercial and Open Source Monitoring and Analysis Software Packages 75
Commercial NetFlow Monitoring and Analysis Software Packages 75
Lancope’s StealthWatch Solution 76
Plixer’s Scrutinizer 79
Open Source NetFlow Monitoring and Analysis Software Packages 80
NFdump 81
NfSen 86
SiLK 86
SiLK Configuration Files 87
Filtering, Displaying, and Sorting NetFlow Records with SiLK 87
SiLK’s Python Extension 88
Counting, Grouping, and Mating NetFlow Records with Silk 88
SiLK IPset, Bag, and Prefix Map Manipulation Tools 88
IP and Port Labeling Files 89
SiLK Runtime Plug-Ins 89
SiLK Utilities for Packet Capture and IPFIX Processing 90
Utilities to Detect Network Scans 90
SiLK Flow File Utilities 90
Additional SiLK Utilities 91
Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana Stack 92
Elasticsearch 92
Logstash 92
Kibana 93
Elasticsearch Marvel and Shield 94
ELK Deployment Topology 94
Installing ELK 95
Installing Elasticsearch 96
Install Kibana 105
Installing Nginx 106
Install Logstash 107
Summary 109
Chapter 5 Big Data Analytics and NetFlow 111
Introduction to Big Data Analytics for Cyber Security 111
What Is Big Data? 111
Unstructured Versus Structured Data 112
Extracting Value from Big Data 113
NetFlow and Other Telemetry Sources for Big Data Analytics for Cyber Security 114
OpenSOC 115
Hadoop 116
HDFS 117
Flume 119
Kafka 120
Storm 121
Hive 122
Elasticsearch 123
HBase 124
Third-Party Analytic Tools 125
Other Big Data Projects in the Industry 126
Understanding Big Data Scalability: Big Data Analytics in the Internet of Everything 127
Summary 128
Chapter 6 Cisco Cyber Threat Defense and NetFlow 129
Overview of the Cisco Cyber Threat Defense Solution 129
The Attack Continuum 130
Cisco CTD Solution Components 131
NetFlow Platform Support 133
Traditional NetFlow Support in Cisco IOS Software 133
NetFlow Support in Cisco IOS-XR Software 135
Flexible NetFlow Support 135
NetFlow Support in Cisco ASA 140
Deploying the Lancope StealthWatch System 140
Deploying StealthWatch FlowCollectors 142
StealthWatch FlowReplicators 146
StealthWatch Management Console 146
Deploying NetFlow Secure Event Logging in the Cisco ASA 148
Deploying NSEL in Cisco ASA Configured for Clustering 151
Unit Roles and Functions in Clustering 152
Clustering NSEL Operations 152
Configuring NSEL in the Cisco ASA 153
Configuring NSEL in the Cisco ASA Using ASDM 153
Configuring NSEL in the Cisco ASA Using the CLI 155
NSEL and Syslog 156
Defining the NSEL Export Policy 157
Monitoring NSEL 159
Configuring NetFlow in the Cisco Nexus 1000V 160
Defining a Flow Record 161
Defining the Flow Exporter 162
Defining a Flow Monitor 163
Applying the Flow Monitor to an Interface 164
Configuring NetFlow in the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 164
Configuring the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance 166
Initializing the Cisco NGA 166
Configuring NetFlow in the Cisco NGA via the GUI 168
Configuring NetFlow in the Cisco NGA via the CLI 169
Additional Cisco CTD Solution Components 171
Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls and the Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services 171
Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention Systems 172
FireSIGHT Management Center 173
AMP for Endpoints 173
AMP for Networks 176
AMP Threat Grid 176
Email Security 177
Email Security Appliance 177
Cloud Email Security 179
Cisco Hybrid Email Security 179
Web Security 180
Web Security Appliance 180
Cisco Content Security Management Appliance 184
Cisco Cloud Web Security 185
Cisco Identity Services Engine 186
Summary 187
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting NetFlow 189
Troubleshooting Utilities and Debug Commands 189
Troubleshooting NetFlow in Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Devices 194
Cisco IOS Router Flexible NetFlow Configuration 195
Troubleshooting Communication Problems with the NetFlow Collector 201
Additional Useful Troubleshooting Debug and Show Commands 204
Verifying a Flow Monitor Configuration 204
Displaying Flow Exporter Templates and Export IDs 207
Debugging Flow Records 212
Preventing Export Storms with Flexible NetFlow 213
Troubleshooting NetFlow in Cisco NX-OS Software 214
Troubleshooting NetFlow in Cisco IOS-XR Software 217
Flow Exporter Statistics and Diagnostics 219
Flow Monitor Statistics and Diagnostics 222
Displaying NetFlow Producer Statistics in Cisco IOS-XR 226
Additional Useful Cisco IOS-XR Show Commands 228
Troubleshooting NetFlow in the Cisco ASA 228
Troubleshooting NetFlow in the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance 235
Gathering Information About Configured NGA Managed Devices 235
Gathering Information About the Flow Collector 236
Gathering Information About the Flow Exporter 237
Gathering Information About Flow Records 237
Gathering Information About the Flow Monitor 238
Show Tech-Support 239
Additional Useful NGA show Commands 245
Summary 246
Chapter 8 Case Studies 247
Using NetFlow for Anomaly Detection and Identifying DoS Attacks 247
Direct DDoS Attacks 248
Reflected DDoS Attacks 248
Amplification Attacks 249
Identifying DDoS Attacks Using NetFlow 250
Using NetFlow in Enterprise Networks to Detect DDoS Attacks 250
Using NetFlow in Service Provider Networks to Detect DDoS Attacks 253
Using NetFlow for Incident Response and Forensics 254
Credit Card Theft 254
Theft of Intellectual Property 259
Using NetFlow for Monitoring Guest Users and Contractors 262
Using NetFlow for Capacity Planning 267
Using NetFlow to Monitor Cloud Usage 269
Summary 271
TOC, 9781587144387, 8/25/2015
